Heating apparatus



R. J. PARSONS ET AL HEATING APPARTUS Filed Oct. 28, 1931 Rober# J. Parsons John W. Conway BYTH'ssR ATTORNEY heatvissupplied, steam will be formedV and willy Patented Apr. 14,1936

UNITED STATES vlair-stir OFFICE vHEATING APPARATUS Application October 28, 1931, Serial'No. 571,644

8 Claims.

For a detailed description of the present form ofour invention, reference may be had to y.the following specification and to the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof, wherein Fig. 1 represents diagrammatically ourxinvenltion and Fig. 2 shows a modication.

' Our invention involves a low-pressure steam heating system p-articularlyadapted for heating motor cars and one that uses a small amount of water.

Referring to Fig. 1,. F represents the exhaust pipe of the car-driving engine, which pipe serves as the source of heat for the system. Pipe F is enlarged at A to, form a boiler, consisting of a coil of pipe, the left Ahand part of said coil being shielded by an inside pipe G to Ycause a lesser degree Vof, vaporization. in the. shielded turns, amounting at times to a condensation for a purpose to be explained later. From the right hand end of the boiler a pipe c, containing a stop cock H, leadsY to the right hand or lower end of the inclined radiator B. This radiator consists of a pipe, provided with external radiating. ns, and slightly inclinedk so as to go under a car seat. .At its.. upper lefthand en'd the radiator is provided with. any well known type of -thermostatic vent valve-conventionally illustrated-.at E, so as to vent` air andwater therefrom. Fromv the high end of the radiator contiguous to the valve Ea waterreturn pipe d leads` to a small water reservoir C. The reservoir C isY sealed at its top bymeans of a small. pipe coilD, the outer end of which is open to the atmosphere. Said coil will permit the escape of air from the reservoir, but steam will becondensed within the coil, sothat the condensate will be returned to the reservoir. The coil is of such length Vthat the accumulationof condensate .therein will be 'suflicient to prevent escape of live steam to theatmosphere through the coil. From-the bottom. of reservoir C a pipe leads to the left hand end of theboiler,.-which is also connected by pipe a., to the right hand end of radiator B.` The aforesaid shield G serves to form a water trap at the shielded part of boiler A, by preventing vaporization until the condensate hastraveled to the Unshielded portion. The only pressure that can exist in boiler A is that required to balanceA the water head `in reservoir Cr and pipes a andfb. Thatpressure is about one half a pound, rising occasionally to one pound. Assuming that the boiler markedfA isl cold` and is lledfwithwater fromthe reservoir C: When force the Water out ofthe boiler through the pipesa, bl and c. Steam will thereupon nd its way intov the radiator B, through the pipes a and c and when it has reached the higher end of said radiator B, it will act on the Valve E and effect closure of said valve. Condensate forming within the radiator B will collect in the lower end of the radiator and flow into the pipe a, because the pipe c enters the radiator at a position higher than the position that pipe d communicates with the radiator. As the circulation is created the water of condensation in the pipe a as well as water in pipe b` enters the end of the boiler which is shielded as indicated at G. By

reason of the shieldingengagement the hottest part of the boiler will be the unshielded portion and normally steam will not be `generated until the water reachessaidunshielded portion. The steam as generated will pass upwardly through pipe c, because there will be some resistance to its passing out of the other end ofthe boiler on account of the water and condensate having collected at that end. Pipe d is a supplemental return pipe and functions as such only when the grade or yangle of the radiator B has been changed, due to the vehicle being on a grade, or at such times as there is not enough heat supplied to the boiler to generate suiiicient steam to satisfy the demand.l In this latter case, the upper end of the radiator often cools off and the thermostatic valve E will open. When heat is again applied to the boiler, water is sometimes pushed to the upper end of the radiator and is discharged through E., until it becomes hot enough to beV closed. The purpose of the shield G is to prevent formation of steam in the shielded portion'of the coil; thus insuring that the steam will leavethe boiler through the pipe c and that the condensate will return to the boiler through pipe w. The shielded portion of the boiler runs cooler than the other end, because the boiler coils in the shielded end are protected from direct Contact with the hot gases and this shield therefore stabilizes the action in the boiler. Steam only leaves the boiler through pipes a and cV when heat is rst applied, but after the radiator commences to :function the pipe a constitutes the return pipe from the radiator-under normal operating conditions. Pipe d is a supplemental return pipe but functions only during the starting period or during the abnormal operation, as explained above.Y Eventually the water in the system will fall below the level e, which maybe considered Vthe normal level, but the heating will go on until the water in the pipes is eX- hausted. Till that occurs there will be Water in the pipes at' the point X and when such exhaustion happens, replenishment is called for.

The arrangement in Fig. 2 is the same, except that we have added what we term a percolator K, which consists of a small reservoir interpolated betweenpipe b and the reservoir C. That portion of the pipe indicated at b2 passes down below and up through the exhaust pipe F at L. The heating effect of the exhaust pipe at L is suicient to give a slight pumping effect to accentuate the upward flow of water through b2 into K. That is, the steam bubbles produced at L in pipe b2 will rise up in b2 carrying water with them which discharges in K. When the engine is shut down, the only water that can flow back into the boiler, apart from the condensate in radiator B, is the small amount'of water which may be contained in the percolator K. The body of water in C and K and the intermediate pipe b2 thus constitutes a separate body, but when the engine starts, the pumping eii'ect at L is suflicient to start a circulation through the boiler. The described percolator K causes a more rapid starting of the heating action after the engine has been temporarily stopped, say at a red light. It is to be understood that in practice, the radiator normally occupies the position illustrated in the drawing, and that the return pipe d is so arranged, in each instance, as to drain condensate from the normally high end of the radiator during the periods that the radiator is temporarily inclined oppositely to its normal inclination during travel of the vehicle.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a Vehicle heating apparatus, a radiator constructed and arranged to be normally disposed in a horizontally inclined position with one end higher than the other, a boiler, supply and return pipes connecting spaced apart positions of the boiler with the lower end of the radiator at different levels, and supplemental return means connecting the higher end of the radiator with the return pipe at a position between the boiler and the radiator, in such manner as to Ydrain condensate from the normally higher end during periods that the radiator is inclined oppositely to its normal inclination.

2. In a Vehicle heating apparatus, a` radiator constructed and arranged to be normally disposed in a horizontally inclined position with one end higher than the other, a boiler, means shielding a portion of the boiler and so constructed and arranged as to prevent vaporization at the shielded portion, a supply pipe connecting the unshielded portion of the boiler with the lower end of the radiator, a return pipe connecting the shielded portion of the boiler `with the lower end of the radiator, but ata level lower than the connection of the supply pipe with the radiator, and supplemental means connected with the higher end of the radiator and also with said return pipe at a position between the boiler and the radiator, in such manner as to drain condensate from the normally higher en-d during periods that the radiator is inclined oppositely to its normal inclination. Y

3. In a Vehicle heating apparatus, a radiator constructed and arranged to be normally disposed at a horizontally inclined position with one end higher than the other, a boiler, a reservoir located at a higher level than said boiler, supply and return pipes connecting spaced apart positions of the boiler with the lower end of the radiator at different levels, a supplementalreturn.

pipe connecting the higher end of the radiator with said reservoir, in such manner as to drain condensate from the normally higher end during periods that the radiator is inclined oppositely to its normal inclination and means connecting the reservoir with said return pipe at a position between the boiler and the radiator.

4. In a vehicle heating system, aradiator constructed and arranged to be normally disposed in a horizontally inclined position, a boiler, a reservoir located in a higher plane than that of the boiler, a tubular coiled seal for the reservoir having one end discharging into the atmosphere, a return pipe connecting the higher end of the radiator with the reservoir, in such manner as to drain condensate from the normally higher end during periods that the radiator is inclined oppositely to its normal inclination, a supply pipe and a second return pipe both connected to the lower end of the radiator, with the supply pipe connection in a higher plane than that of the last-mentioned return pipe connection, the other ends of said supply and second return pipe being respectively connected to opposite ends of the boiler, and a pipe connecting said reservoir with said second return pipe at a position between the boiler and the radiator. Y

5. A vehicle heating system comprising a radiator constructed and arranged to be normally disposed in a horizontally inclined position, a boiler, means by which the boiler may be heated by the exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine, a water reservoir located in a higher plane than the boiler and connected with the higher end of the radiator, in such manner as to drain condensate from the normally higher end during periods that the radiator is inclined oppositely to its normal inclinationVa supply pipe connecting one end of the boiler with the lower end of the radiator, and a return pipe connecting the other end of the boiler with the lower end of the radiator but in a lower plane than that of the connection of the supply pipe therewith, and a supplemental return pipeconnecting the reservoir with the first-mentioned return pipe at a position between the boiler and the radiator.

6. A vehicle heating system comprising a radiator constructed and arranged to be normally disposed in a horizontally inclined position, a boiler including a helical coil, and means for heating the same, means for shielding a portion of said coil from the heating means, a gravity water reservoir located in a higher plane than that of the boiler, a pipe connecting the higher end of the radiator with said reservoir, in such manner as to drain condensate from the normally higher end during periods that the radiator is inclined oppositely to its normal inclination, a supply pipeV connecting the unshielded end of the boiler with the lower end of the radiator, a return pipe connecting the lower end ofthe radiator with the shielded portion of the boiler, the connection of the return pipe with the radiator being in a lower plane than that of the connection between the supply pipe and the radiator, and a supplemental return pipe connecting the reservoir with the first-mentioned return pipe at a position between the radiator and the boiler.

7. A heating system of the character described comprising a radiator disposed in a horizontally inclined position, a boiler having means constructed and arranged to effect heating thereof by means of the exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine, a main water reservoir connected with the higher end of the radiator for receiving condensatetherefrom, a supply connection leading from one end of the boiler to the lower end of the radiator, a return connection leading from the lower end of the radiator to the other end of the boiler, the return connection with the radiator being in a lower plane than that of the supplyrconnection, a supplemental water reservoir located at substantially the same level as said main reservoir, and having a pipe connected therewith, said pipe connection being so constructed and arranged as to be heated by the exhaust gases, and opening into said supplemental reservoir at a position above its connection with said main reservoir, and a supplemental return pipe connecting the supplemental reservoir to the first-mentioned return connection at a position between the boiler and the radiator.

8. A heating system of the character described comprising a radiator disposed in a horizontally inclined position, a boiler, two water reservoirs in approximately the same horizontal plane but in a higher plane than that of the boiler, a supply pipe connecting one end of the boiler with the lower end of the radiator, a return pipe connecting the other end of the boiler' with the lower end of the radiator but in a lower plane than the connection of said supply pipe with the radiator, a pipe connecting the higher end of the radiator with one of said reservoirs, a supplemental return pipe connecting the other reservoir with the first mentioned return pipe at a position between the radiator and the boiler, a pipe connecting the two reservoirs, and opening into o-ne reservoir at a position above its connection with the other reservoir, and means for heating the last-mentioned pipe.

ROBERT J. PARSONS.

JOHN W. CONWAY. 

